In recent years, healthcare service providers have been making the transition from manual paper-based medical records to an electronic format. Commercially available computer software, such as PowerChart®, PowerChart Office®, and other Cerner Millennium® applications marketed by Cerner Corporation of Kansas City, Mo. have advanced the state of the art well beyond the conventional manual approach. Electronic-based records substantially increase the efficiency of healthcare providers and institutions. Electronic medical records also substantially reduce risks associated with high volumes of patient data and potential liabilities arising out of clerical errors or misinformation. The electronic format enhances communication between various providers and within institutions. As electronic clinical documentation continues to become increasingly prevalent, the variety of applications, electronic forms, electronic charts, and user interfaces, as well as the corresponding versatility of this format, continue to expand.
Images are commonly used by physicians and other healthcare providers to memorialize relevant image-related information associated with patient interactions. In many cases, images provide great insight into the patient interaction, particularly when accompanied by supporting documentation. For example, the patient may be a burn victim or have a broken bone. Images are often captured by someone other than a physician and orders must be sent from the person responsible for capturing the images (hereinafter, the “photographer”). Images can be captured in many forms, such as by a digital camera, a handheld scanner, or other medical imaging device. Hard-copy images can be mislabeled or lost, and are not an efficient means of preserving image data that is to accompany medical records. Even electronic image files present challenges as they still must be imported, attached, or otherwise appended to existing records. Similar problems can arise with misidentification and mishandling of these unassociated electronic files within vast medical information systems.
Many currently available forms of image capturing devices are limited in their ability to add image related documentation to the image file. For example, conventional digital cameras do not allow a user to associate clinical documentation with the actual image. Similarly, conventional image capturing devices do not integrate with protocols to provide the user with a set of instructions to fulfill the clinician's orders. In addition, conventional electronic medical records are unable to associate an image with a specific portion of a patient's medical record.